THE  LIBRARY 


OF 


THE 


OF 


LOS 


UNIVERSITY 
CALIFORNIA 
ANGELES 


TRIBUTE 


OP  THB 


CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


OP  THE 


STATE  OF  NEW-YORK 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OP 


GENERAL  WM.  T.  SHERMAN. 


FEBRUARY  17,  1891. 


NEW-  YORK  ; 
PRESS  .OF    THB    CHAMBER    OF    COMMERCE. 

1891. 


TRIBUTE 


TO  THE   MEMORY   OT 


GENERAL  WM.  T.  SHERMAN. 


To  afford  the  merchants  and  business  men  of 
New- York  an  opportunity  to  express,  in  a  public 
manner,  their  regard  for  the  memory  of  General 
SHERMAN,  their  sympathy  for  his  bereaved  family, 
and  their  sense  of  the  loss  sustained  by  the  nation 
of  a  great  soldier,  patriot  and  statesman,  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  held 
Tuesday,  February  17th,  1891. 

Mr.  CHARLES  S.  SMITH,  President  of  the  Chamber, 
presided,  and  said : 

GENTLEMEN  :  General  SHERMAN,  the  last  of  the 
great  leaders  in  our  late  war,  has  followed  LINCOLN 
and  FARRAGUT,  SEWARD  and  CHASE,  GRANT,  SHER- 
IDAN and  PORTER  to  the  tomb. 


550261 


In  the  death  of  SHERMAN  this  Chamber  has  not 
only  lost  its  most  conspicuous  honorary  member, 
but  a  friend  endeared  to  us  by  intimate  association, 
and  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  many  kind  and 
considerate  acts.  It  is  impossible  to  appreciate  the 
grandeur  of  a  great  mountain  peak  when  standing 
near  its  base.  And  so  with  the  life  of  a  great  man. 
The  perspective  of  time  and  distance  is  necessary  to 
determine  the  exact  place  which  the  final  judgment 
of  posterity  will  assign  to  him.  It  is  absolutely  cer- 
tain that  history  will  write  the  name  of  WILLIAM 
TECUMSEH  SHERMAN  conspicuously  upon  the  page 
devoted  to  those  who  founded  and  saved  the 
Republic  ;  and  his  memory  will  be  cherished  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  as  long  as  patriotic  service, 
unswerving  integrity  and  lovable  qualities  are  ap- 
preciated among  men. 


RESOLUTIONS. 

Mr.  J.  EDWARD  SIMMONS  offered  the  following 
preamble  and  resolutions,  and  moved  their  adop- 
tion: 

Whereas,  The  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce but  a  short  time  since  were  called  to  assemble 
in  the  presence  of  a  severe  national  bereavement  to 
pay  their  tribute  of  respect  to  the  character  and 


noble  labors  of  a  distinguished  civilian  and  states- 
man, having  under  his  care  the  fiduciary  interests  of 
the  Republic  ;  and 

Whereas,  To-day,  by  the  dispensation  of  an  all- 
wise  Providence,  we  meet  to  pay  our  tribute  of 
affectionate  regard  to  the  memory  of  a  great  soldier 
whose  splendid  services  in  the  long  struggle  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  were  as  brilliant  as  they 
were  successful,  and  whose  achievements  illustrated 
the  greatness  of  a  soldier  who  in  conquest  knew  no 
hate,  and  in  whose  magnanimity  there  was  no 
revenge ;  therefore, 

Jtesolved,  That  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
State  of  New- York  hereby  places  on  record  its 
unanimous  sentiment  of  profound  sorrow  because  of 
the  irreparable  bereavement  the  nation  has  sustained 
in  the  death  of  our  distinguished  soldier  citizen, 
General  WILLIAM  TECUMSEH  SHERMAN. 

JResolved,  That  by  the  death  of  General  SHERMAN 
the  world  has  lost  one  of  its  greatest  military  heroes. 
Pure  in  heart,  of  spotless  integrity,  cool  and  undis- 
mayed in  danger,  he  not  only  won  honor  and  renown 
from  the  soldiers  of  his  command,  but  he  invariably 
inspired  them  with  confidence,  friendship  and  af- 
fection. He  was  the  soldier  of  Justice,  Right  and 


6 

Truth,  and  he  has  passed  from  our  midst  as  a  bril- 
liant star  pales  and  vanishes  from  the  morning  sky. 

Resolved,  That  the  results  achieved  by  the  late 
war  were  largely  due  to  the  consummate  skill, 
adroit  strategy  and  matchless  generalship  of  WIL- 
LIAM TECUMSEH  SHERMAN,  and  that  the  people  of 
this  Republic  are  indebted  to  him  for  his  eminent 
services  in  securing  to  them  the  inestimable  blessings 
of  a  united  and  prosperous  country. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  public  spirited  citizen  he 
proved  himself  to  be  a  capable  man  of  affairs,  with 
a  deep  interest  in  many  of  our  local  institutions.  As 
an  honorary  member  he  has  presided  over  the 
deliberations  of  this  Chamber,  and  his  genial  pres- 
ence was  seldom  missed  at  our  annual  banquets. 
Socially  he  was  the  peer  of  those  with  whom  com- 
panionship had  a  charm,  and  illustrated  in  his  inter- 
course all  the  qualities  of  a  nobleman  in  the 
amenities  of  life.  His  home  was  a  haven  of  repose, 
and  love  and  gentleness  were  the  angels  that  minis- 
tered at  his  fireside. 

Resolved,  That  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  hereby 
tenders  to  the  family  of  General  SHERMAN  the 
expression  of  sincere  sympathy  in  the  hour  of  their 
bereavement. 


ADDRESS  BY  THE  HON.    CARL   SOHURZ. 

GENTLEMEN  :  The  adoption  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  these  resolutions  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  second,  is  no  mere  perfunctory  proceeding. 
We  have  been  called  here  by  a  genuine  impulse  of 
the  heart.  To  us  General  SHERMAN  was  not  a  great 
man  like  other  great  men,  honored  and  revered  at  a 
distance.  We  had  the  proud  and  happy  privilege 
of  calling  him  one  of  us.  Only  a  few  months  ago, 
at  the  annual  meeting  of  this  Chamber,  we  saw  the 
familiar  face  of  our  honorary  member  on  this  plat- 
form by  the  side  of  our  President.  Only  a  few 
weeks  ago  he  sat  at  our  banquet  table,  as  he  had 
often  before,  in  the  happiest  mood  of  conviviality, 
and  contributed  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  night  with 
his  always  unassuming  and  always  charming  speech. 
And  as  he  moved  among  us  without  the  slightest 
pomp  of  self-conscious  historic  dignity,  only  with 
the  warm  and  simple  geniality  of  his  nature,  it 
would  cost  us  sometimes  an  effort  of  the  memory  to 
recollect  that  he  was  the  renowned  captain  who  had 
marshaled  mighty  armies  victoriously  on  many  a 
battlefield,  and  whose  name  stood,  and  will  for  ever 
stand,  in  the  very  foremost  rank  of  the  saviours  of 
this  Republic,  and  of  the  great  soldiers  of  the 
world's  history.  Indeed,  no  American  could  have 


8 

forgotten  this  for  a  moment;  but  the  affection  of 
those  who  were  so  happy  as  to  come  near  to  him, 
would  sometimes  struggle  to  outrun  their  veneration 
and  gratitude. 

Death  has  at  last  conquered  the  hero  of  so  many 
campaigns ;  our  cities  and  towns  and  villages  are 
decked  with  flags  at  half-mast  ;  the  muffled  drum 
and  the  funereal  cannon-boom  will  resound  over 
the  land  as  his  dead  body  passes  to  the  final  rest- 
ing place  ;  and  the  American  people  stand  mourn- 
fully gazing  into  the  void  left  by  the  sudden  dis- 
appearance of  the  last  of  the  greatest  men  brought 
forth  by  our  war  of  regeneration, — and  this  last  also 
finally  become,  save  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  alone,  the 
most  widely  beloved.  He  is  gone ;  but  as  we  of  the 
present  generation  remember  it,  history  will  tell  all 
coming  centuries  the  romantic  story  of  the  famous 
"  March  to  the  Sea," — how,  in  the  dark  days  of 
1864,  SHERMAN,  having  worked  his  bloody  way  to 
Atlanta,  then  cast  off  all  his  lines  of  supply  and 
communication,  and,  like  a  bold  diver  into  the  dark 
unknown,  seemed  to  vanish  with  all  his  hosts  from 
the  eyes  of  the  world,  until  his  triumphant  re- 
appearance on  the  shores  of  the  ocean  proclaimed  to 
the  anxiously  expecting  millions,  that  now  the  final 
victory  was  no  longer  doubtful,  and  that  the  Re- 
public would  surely  be  saved. 

Nor  will  history  fail  to  record   that  this  great 


9 

general  was,  as  a  victorious  soldier,  a  model  of 
republican  citizenship.  When  he  had  done  his 
illustrious  deeds,  he  rose  step  by  step  to  the  highest 
rank  in  the  army,  and  then,  grown  old,  he  retired. 
The  Republic  made  provision  for  him  in  modest 
republican  style.  He  was  satisfied.  He  asked  for 
no  higher  reward.  Although  the  splendor  of  his 
achievements,  and  the  personal  affection  for  him, 
which  every  one  of  his  soldiers  carried  home,  made 
him  the  most  popular  American  of  his  day,  and 
although  the  most  glittering  prizes  were  not  seldom 
held  up  before  his  eyes,  he  remained  untroubled  by 
ulterior  ambition.  No  thought  that  the  Republic 
owed  him  more  ever  darkened  his  mind.  No  man 
could  have  spoken  to  him  of  the  "ingratitude  of 
Republics,"  without  meeting  from  him  a  stern 
rebuke.  And  so,  content  with  the  consciousness  of 
a  great  duty  nobly  done,  he  was  happy  in  the  love 
of  his  fellow  citizens. 

Indeed,  he  may  truly  be  said  to  have  been  in  his  old 
age,  not  only  the  most  beloved,  but  also  the  happiest 
of  Americans.  Many  years  he  lived  in  the  midst  of 
posterity.  His  task  was  finished,  and  this  he  wisely 
understood.  His  deeds  had  been  passed  upon  by 
the  judgment  of  history,  and  irrevocably  registered 
among  the  glories  of  his  country  and  his  age.  His 
generous  heart  envied  no  one,  and  wished  every 
one  well ;  and  ill-will  had  long  ceased  to  pursue  him. 


10 

Beyond  cavil  Ms  fame  was  secure,  and  he  enjoyed  it 
as  that  which  he  had  honestly  earned,  with  a  genu- 
ine and  ever  fresh  delight,  openly  avowed  by  the 
charming  frankness  of  his  nature.  He  dearly  loved 
to  be  esteemed  and  cherished  by  his  fellow-men,  and 
what  he  valued  most,  his  waning  years  brought  him 
in  ever  increasing  abundance.  Thus  he  was  in  truth 
a  most  happy  man,  and  his  days  went  down  like  an 
evening  sun  in  a  cloudless  autumn  sky.  And  when 
now  the  American  people,  with  that  peculiar  tender- 
ness of  affection  which  they  have  long  borne  him,  lay 
him  in  his  grave,  the  happy  ending  of  his  great  life 
may  soothe  the  pang  of  bereavement  they  feel  in  their 
hearts  at  the  loss  of  the  old  hero  who  was  so  dear  to 
them,  and  of  whom  they  were  and  always  will  be  so 
proud.  His  memory  will  ever  be  bright  to  us  all ; 
his  truest  monument  will  be  the  greatness  of  the 
Republic  he  served  so  well ;  and  his  fame  will  never 
cease  to  be  prized  by  a  grateful  country,  as  one  of 
its  most  precious  possessions. 


11 


ADDRESS   BY  GENERA.L   HORACE  PORTER. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  GENTLEMEN  :  I  take  a 
pleasure,  mingled  with  inexpressible  grief,  in  rising 
to  second  the  very  appropriate  resolutions  submitted 
in  honor  of  the  memory  of  the  last  of  our  pre-eminent 
military  chieftains.  While  we  all  share  in  the 
general  grief  of  the  nation,  I  know  that  there  are 
many  members  of  this  body  upon  whom  the  blow 
falls  individually — those  who,  like  myself,  have 
been  associated  upon  terms  of  intimacy  with  General 
SHERMAN,  both  in  war  and  in  peace,  and  to  whom 
this  news  come  home  with  a  sorrow  which  is  akin  to 
the  grief  of  a  personal  bereavement. 

By  no  act  of  ours  can  we  expect  to  add  one  more 
laurel  to  his  brow.  The  world  has  already  heaped 
upon  him  all  its  honors.  The  nation  raised  him  to 
the  highest  military  rank ;  Congress  tendered  him 
votes  of  thanks  ;  our  leading  universities  vied  with 
each  other  in  conferring  upon  him  their  highest 
degrees  ;  at  home  and  abroad,  clubs  and  societies 
made  him  an  honorary  member ;  innumerable  medals 
have  been  struck  in  his  honor.  We  cannot  expect 
to  add  to  his  earthly  glory.  We  can  only  gather 
together  and  respectfully  testify  our  esteem  for  the 
soldier,  our  affection  for  the  man. 

While  General  SHERMAN  was  a  person  of  marvel- 


12 

lous  versatility  of  talent,  while  lie  was  a  many-sided 
man,  while  he  possessed  rare  qualities  and  had  en- 
joyed a  varied  experience  in  most  of  the  useful  walks 
of  life,  yet  his  great  fame  will  always  rest  upon  his 
merits  as  a  soldier.     With  him  the  chief  character- 
istics of  the  soldier  seemed  unborn.     In  his  very 
walk,  in  his  very  look,  there  was  something  which 
always   spoke    of    the    typical    soldier ;    with    his 
closely-knit  brows,  his  deep,  penetrating,  restless 
eyes,  his  aquiline  nose,  there  was  something  in  his 
look  which  savored  of  the  piercing  glance  of  the 
eagle.     In  war  he  was  bold  in  conception,  fixed  in 
purpose,  and  untiring  in  effort.     He  was  singularly 
self-reliant,  always  demonstrated  by  his  acts,  that 
"much  danger  makes  great  hearts  most  resolute." 
He  possessed  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  topography. 
He  seemed  to  combine  in  his  own  person  the  patience 
of  a  FABIUS  with  the  restlessness  of  a  HOTSPUR.     He 
was  fertile  in  expedients,  and  quick  to  adapt  the 
means  at  hand  to  the  accomplishment  of  an  end. 
He  enjoyed  a  personal  reputation  unsullied,  of  un- 
impeachable integrity.     He  had  a  physique  which 
enabled  him  to  endure  all  the  hardships  incident  to 
the  most  active  campaign.     It  was  no  wonder  that 
the  world  placed  him  in  the  first  rank  of  the  earth's 
great  captains. 

Students  of  military  history,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  have  studied  his  campaigns  and  made  them 


13 

their  models.  They  have  ranked  his  work  on  a 
level  with  that  of  the  great  masters  of  military 
science. 

The  popular  mind  will  always  be  fond  of  picturing 
him  as  a  chieftain  whose  field  of  military  operations 
covered  nearly  half  a  continent ;  as  a  commander 
whose  orders  always  spoke  with  the  true  bluntness 
of  the  soldier,  as  a  leader  who  had  penetrated  ever- 
glades and  bayous,  who  had  fought  from  valleys' 
depths  to  mountain  heights,  and  marched  from 
inland  rivers  to  the  sea. 

He  possessed  one  conspicuous  characteristic  which 
I  am  sure  all  have  noticed,  and  that  was  that  in  all 
his  writings,  in  all  his  speeches,  he  always  uttered 
the  loftiest  sentiments  of  patriotism.  Tn  his  ad- 
dresses to  the  old  and  young,  he  never  failed  to 
inculcate  in  their  minds  the  principle  that  the 
highest  type  of  virtue  in  the  citizen  or  the  soldier 
is  a  love  of  country.  Who  can  ever  forget  the 
last  time  we  met  him  in  this  very  Chamber,  when 
he  honored  us  by  coming  here  and  delivering  that 
memorable  address  of  welcome  to  the  Pan-American 
Congress,  an  address  so  full  of  historical  incidents, 
so  replete  with  the  loftiest  sentiments  of  patriotism, 
so  expressive  of  his  pride  in  the  progress  of  the 
country,  and  his  unalterable  faith  in  its  great 
future.  So  marvellous  was  that  address,  that  when 
he  ceased  to  speak  a  painful  sense  of  stillness 


14 

seemed  to  fall  upon  the  ear,  and  the  representatives 
of  all  the  Americas  sat  spellbound  under  the  charm. 
His  death  has  caused  a  gap  in  this  community 
which  time  and  men  can  never  fill.  We  thought  we 
had  a  right  to  expect,  from  the  elasticity  of  his  step, 
from  the  activity  of  his  life,  from  the  possession  of  all 
his  marvellous  faculties,  that  we  might  have  him  here 
among  us  and  enjoy  his  companionship  for  years  to 
come  ;  but  Providence  ordered  it  otherwise,  and  we 
can  only  bow  to  the  decree.  We  have  said  our  last 
farewell  to  the  illustrious  soldier,  the  silver  cord  has 
been  loosed,  the  golden  bowl  has  been  broken,  and 
his  spirit  has  winged  its  flight  from  earth  ;  we  shall 
not  meet  the  great  leader  again  until  he  stands 
forth  to  answer  to  his  name  at  roll  call  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  last  great  reveille.  The  laurel  on  his  brow 
is  now  intertwined  with  the  cypress,  the  flag  he  so 
often  upheld  has  dropped  to  half-mast,  the  echo  of 
his  guns  has  given  place  to  the  tolling  of  cathedral 
bells,  and  America  finds  herself  once  more  standing 
within  the  shadow  of  a  profound  grief.  There  is 
some  consolation,  some  compensation  in  his  death — 
it  is  the  consciousness  that  the  country  and  the 
world  are  better  for  his  having  lived  therein ;  that 
he  has  handed  down  to  posterity  the  richest  legacy 
which  man  can  leave  to  man — the  memory  of  a  good 
name — the  inheritance  of  a  great  example. 


15 


ADDRESS   BY  THE  HON.    ABEAM   S.    HEWITT. 

MR.  PRESIDENT  :  I  came  here  prepared  to  listen, 
not  to  speak,  and  after  the  singularly  eloquent  and 
just  tributes  which  have  been  made  to  the  memory 
of  our  departed  hero,  I  feel  reluctant  to  trench  upon 
ground  which  has  been  covered  by  the  resolutions 
and  the  graceful  remarks  of  the  President,  Mr. 
SCHURZ  and  General  PORTER.  But  it  occurs  to  me 
that  I  may  with  propriety  refer  to  some  points  in 
the  career  of  General  SHERMAN  which  shed  a  new 
light  upon  his  character  and  lustre  upon  his  fame. 
These  incidents  are  known  only  to  me,  and  it  is  not 
inappropriate  to  make  them  known  to  others.  We 
all  remember  the  agitation  of  the  country  at  the 
time  when  the  Electoral  Commission  was  passing  in 
1877,  upon  the  disputed  succession  to  the  Presidency. 
General  SHERMAN  was  then  at  the  head  of  the  army. 
The  term  of  President  GRANT  was  coming  to  a 
close  ;  the  electoral  count  had  not  been  finished,  and 
there  was  great  apprehension  on  the  part  of  patriotic 
men  that  Congress  might  break  up  without  deciding 
who  had  been  elected  President.  The  horrors  of  the 
Civil  War  from  which  we  had  emerged  seemed  about 
to  be  renewed. 

Profoundly  impressed  with  the  dangers  of  the 
situation,  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  ought  to  have  a 


16 

consultation  with  General  SHERMAN,  and  to  ask  Mm 
what  would  be  his  course  as  commanding  officer  of 
the  army  of  the  United  States  in  case  the  count 
should  not  be  completed.  We  had  an  interview  in 
which  I  explained  the  situation  and  discussed  the 
dangers  which  might  follow.  He  coincided  with 
me  as  to  the  peril  before  us,  when  I  asked  him  what 
his  course  would  be  in  case  the  count  should  not  be 
finished,  and  the  services  of  the  army  might  be  re- 
quired to  preserve  public  order.  I  told  him  that 
suggestions  had  been  made  that  President  GRANT, 
under  the  circumstances,  ought  to  hold  over  in 
order  to  prevent  the  chaos  which  would  ensue  from 
a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  President.  I  asked  General 
SHERMAN  whether,  under  such  circumstances,  he 
would  obey  the  orders  of  President  GRANT.  He 
replied  : 

"Mr.  HEWITT,  I  have  sworn  to  obey  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  and  I  will  perform  my 
duty.  The  term  of  President  GRANT  ends  at  twelve 
o'clock  on  the  4th  of  March.  He  will  then  be  in  no 
position  to  give  orders  to  me,  and  I  shall  receive  no 
orders  from  him,  but  I  will  take  care  that  the 
dangers  of  anarchy  shall  not  be  experienced  by  the 
country.  The  people  have  elected  a  President,  and 
a  competent  authority  will  be  found  to  declare  who 
is  elected,  and  I  shall  obey  the  orders  of  the  one  who 


17 

shall  be  declared  to  be  President  of    the  United 
States." 

I  replied,  "General  SHERMAN,  the  difficulty  is 
that  the  two  Houses  may  disagree,  and  there  may 
be  no  completion  of  the  count.  What  would  you 
then  do?" 

He  said,  "  I  trust  that  the  responsibility  will  not 
be  placed  upon  me,  but  if  it  shall  happen  that  I 
must  elect  between  the  two  undoubted  candidates 
for  the  office,  and  Congress  shall  break  up  without 
declaring  the  result  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of 
the  House  to  do  its  duty,  I  shall  be  constrained  to 
recognize  the  mandate  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  as  decisive  of  the  question." 

I  said  to  him,  "  General,  there  is  no  precedent  for 
such  a  course,  and  the  Senate  will  not  have  the  right 
to  decide  the  question." 

To  this  he  replied  :  "It  must  be  decided  by  some- 
body ;  and  in  the  presence  of  a  danger  which 
involves  the  safety  of  the  Union  and  the  peace  and 
order  of  the  country,  the  General  of  the  army  would 
be  compelled  to  recognize  the  underlying  principle 
that  the  safety  of  the  people  is  the  supreme  law." 

I  replied :  "  General,  I  do  not  see  that  you  can 
take  any  other  course,  because  it  would  be  a  fatal 
precedent  if  the  President  should  hold  over,  and  it 
was  mainly  to  get  your  opinion  upon  that  point  that 
I  have  sought  this  interview." 


18 

Of  course,  I  knew  what  his  decision  meant,  and 
that  the  candidate,  whose  election  I  had  advocated, 
would  not  be  recognized  by  him  as  President.  I 
knew  also  that  the  country  would  be  saved  from 
civil  war.  It  was  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  that 
contributed  very  largely  to  the  completion  of  the 
count.  Certainly,  great  gratitude  is  due  to  General 
SHERMAN  for  his  military  services,  but  I  think  we 
will  all  recognize  now  that  his  action  in  a  moment  of 
public  peril  preserved  the  stability  of  the  country, 
and  entitles  him  to  the  highest  credit  for  firmness 
and  patriotism.  We  not  only  owe  to  him  the  com- 
pletion of  the  civil  war,  and  the  regeneration  of  the 
Republic,  but  he  is  entitled  to  our  gratitude  for 
having  preserved  us  from  untold  calamities  which 
would  have  followed  a  conflict  between  political 
parties,  dividing  every  family  and  household  in  the 
land. 

One  other  fact,  and  I  am  done.  When  General 
SHERMAN  was  about  to  be  retired  from  the  office  of 
General,  in  consequence  of  having  reached  the  statu- 
tory limitation,  which  in  the  army  was  62  years,  there 
was  a  very  general  desire  on  the  part  of  the  public, 
concurred  in  by  the  members  of  Congress,  to  repeal 
the  limitation  of  the  statute  in  his  case,  as  it  had 
been  made  inoperative  in  the  [case  of  Admiral 
PORTER.  As  I  was  Chairman  of  the  Sub-Committee 
in  charge  of  the  Army  Appropriation  Bill,  I  was 


19 

asked  to  see  General  SHERMAN,  and  ascertain 
whether  an  amendment  to  the  bill,  removing  the 
statutory  limitation  in  his  case,  would  be  acceptable. 
His  reply  was  instantaneous : 

"  No ;  I  am  a  soldier  and  a  citizen.  I  always 
obey  the  law  ;  I  do  not  desire  to  have  a  change  in 
my  favor,  as  it  expresses  the  judgment  of  the  people 
in  regard  to  the  duration  of  military  service.  Be- 
sides, there  are  other  officers  who  have  rights  in  the 
premises.  If  I  remain  here,  others  will  be  deprived 
of  promotion.  No  ;  I  will  not  accept  any  lengthening 
of  my  term  of  service ;  but  when  the  time  arrives  for 
me  to  retire,  I  will  go  into  the  ranks  of  private  life 
and  perform  my  duties  as  a  citizen,  leaving  to  others 
the  exercise  of  military  power  which  belongs  to  this 
office." 

I  know  of  nothing  more  beautiful  in  the  character 
of  any  man  who  has  ever  come  under  my  notice  than 
the  inherent  patriotism  which  characterized  every 
element  of  General  SHERMAN'S  character.  I  know 
of  nothing  more  admirable  than  the  unselfish  way 
in  which  he  was  ready  to  lay  down  rank  and  power 
on  the  altar  of  Justice.  He  has  set  an  example  to 
us,  and  to  the  generations  who  are  to  come  after  us, 
the  value  of  which  cannot  be  estimated.  If  the  time 
should  ever  come  when  selfish  ambition  should  lead 
towards  a  military  despotism,  the  example  of 
General  SHERMAN  will,  I  am  sure,  save  us  from  im. 


20 

pending  calamity,  and  will  encourage  the  people  to 
preserve  their  Government  even  at  the  cost  of  for- 
tune and  life. 


21 


ADDRESS   BY   MB.    WILLIAM   E.    DODGE. 

ME.  PEESJDENT  AND  GENTLEMEN  or  THE  CHAM- 
BER :  Some  of  us  who  are  here  remember,  with 
deep  emotion,  those  last  days  of  the  war,  and  how 
the  tension  under  which  we  had  been  held  for  so  many 
years  was  loosened  when  news  came  of  the  surrender 
of  LEE.  We  remember  how,  by  a  common  impulse, 
great  masses  of  the  people  gathered  in  Wall  Street, 
in  Pearl  Street  and  in  William  Street,  and  from  a 
hundred  thousand  throats  went  up  that  glad  dox- 
logy  of  thanksgiving  to  GOD. 

LINCOLN  and  GRANT  and  SHERMAN  we  had  loved 
and  trusted  before.  Then  they  were  enshrined  in 
our  hearts.  Years  have  come  and  gone — years  of 
peace  and  prosperity  and  marvellous  advance  ;  but 
the  lustre  of  these  great  names  has  never  grown 
dim,  and  we  have  loved  them  more  and  honored 
them  more  sincerely  as  those  years  went  by. 

LINCOLN'S  tragic  death,  GRANT'S  political  life  and 
his  long,  lingering  illness,  touching  our  hearts,  kept 
those  two  great  souls  from  the  enjoyment  and  honor 
which  would  have  come  to  them  if  they  had  lived 
as  SHERMAN  did. 

As  has  been  so  well  said  to-day,  SHERMAN  really 
lived  in  posterity.  His  life  has  been  most  unique. 

After  a  magnificent  preparation  for  work — after  a 


22 

great  life  of  heroic  courage  and  grand  service  for  the 
country  he  loved  so  much,  he  came  to  the  duties  of 
a  simple  citizen  with  a  heartiness  and  sincerity  and 
fullness  of  life  that  made  him  loved  by  everybody. 

There  has  been  something  very  delightful  about 
the  life  of  General  SHERMAN  in  New- York.  Even 
during  this  last  winter,  wherever  he  has  been  he  has 
met  with  a  love  and  admiration  which  have  been 
wonderful.  Into  whatever  company  he  came  he  was 
easily  first.  "Where  he  sat  was  the  head  of  the 
table."  And,  although  I  think  he  had  but  little 
vanity  or  egotism,  he  must  certainly  have  enjoyed 
the  admiration  of  the  people  about  him  just  as  a 
father  loves  the  glad  sparkle  in  the  eyes  of  his  chil- 
dren when  he  comes  to  them. 

Some  great  men  need  no  eulogy.  They  have  im- 
pressed themselves  so  fully  upon  the  age  that  no 
words  will  add  to  the  impression  they  have  left. 
The  most  eloquent  words  that  can  be  spoken  of  such 
men  are  but  weak.  In  the  full  heart  of  every  patri- 
otic man  here,  tender  and  grateful  thoughts,  moving 
more  rapidly  than  the  words  of  any  speaker,  will  be 
to  each  one  a  better  eulogy  of  the  life  of  such  a  man 
as  SHERMAN. 

I  think  that  as  merchants  there  is  a  peculiar  fitness 
in  our  gathering  to  express  our  love  and  honor  for 
the  memory  of  this  great  man. 

During  the  war  no  class  of  people  in  this  country 


23 

did  more  loyal  service  than  the  merchants  of  this 
city.  They  gave  freely  of  their  money  and  their 
time ;  many  gave  ^themselves  or  their  children. 
They  had  everything  at  stake. 

When  SHERMAN  swung  off  towards  the  sea,  with 
those  splendid  soldiers,  HOWARD  and  SLOCUM,  and 
was  lost  to  sight,  what  a  tension  of  feeling  there 
was  through  all  this  city.  We  knew  it  was  the 
crisis  of  the  war,  and  our  hearts  bounded  with  hope 
and  gladness  when  the  news  came  that  he  had 
reached  the  sea,  and  that  the  beginning  of  the  end 
had  come. 

So  much  has  been  said,  and  said  so  well,  as  to  the 
character  of  this  grand  old  man,  that  I  shall  say 
nothing  more,  but  I  hope  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  a 
single  word  as  to  the  lesson  these  great  lives  teach 
us.  Their  personal  presence  has  gone.  There  is 
nothing  now  but  the  happy  memory  of  grand  and 
heroic  service. 

But  we  must  remember  that  peace  has  duties  as 
great,  and  dangers  as  real,  as  war.  There  is  an 
opportunity  for  full  and  heroic  lives  to  be  lived  in 
these  times,  and  if  these  great  souls  could  come 
back  to  life,  I  know  there  is  nothing  would  nil  their 
hearts  with  such  delight  as  to  feel  that  some  of  the 
robustness  of  manhood,  and  vigor  in  action,  they 
showed  in  war,  were  being  shown  by  us  in  our  daily 
lives  and  duties  here. 


24 

Republics  have  not  gone  down  in  wars.  They 
have  gone  down  from  the  enervation  that  came  with 
luxury  and  self-indulgence,  and  all  the  dangers  that 
follow  wealth  and  prosperity. 

We,  as  merchants,  as  men  of  affairs,  who  have  a 
stake  here,  must  take  our  stand  valiantly,  and  try 
to  preserve  the  heritage  they  have  left  us. 

The  other  night  I  had  the  privilege  of  attending  a 
mos t  impressive  gathering.  The  great  hal I  of  Cooper 
Institute  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  almost  as 
many  on  the  outside,  of  those  who  had  been  the 
recipients  of  the  bounty  and  the  wise  and  thoughtful 
kindness  of  our  dear  friend,  the  late  Mr.  PETER 
COOPER. 

I  was  touched  by  a  remark  made  by  a  dis- 
tinguished speaker,  who  had  been  chosen  when  a 
pupil  of  the  school  to  make  an  address  to  Mr. 
COOPER  on  one  of  his  birthdays.  He  said  Mr. 
COOPER  gave  them  good  advice  in  reply,  and  then 
added,  "  Young  men,  my  object  in  business  has 
been  to  make  as  much  money  as  I  could  honestly 
and  honorably,  but  my  object  in  life  has  been  to  do 
good  to  those  who  are  about  me." 

If  such  a  great  impulse  can  come  into  our  lives, 
drawing  us  away  from  the  dangers  that  come  in 
these  days  of  prosperity  and  peace,  we  can  establish 
our  manhood  and  do  our  duty  with  something  of 
the  same  magnificent  courage  shown  by  those  great 
souls  who  have  left  us. 


26 

The  President  submitted  the  following  letter  from 
General  THOMAS  HILLHOUSE,  who  was  unable  to 
attend  the  meeting : 

NEW- YORK,  February  17,  1891. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  regret  that  circumstances  will  prevent 
me  from  attending  the  meeting  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  to-day,  but  I  do  most  sincerely  approve 
the  object  and  purpose  for  which  it  is  called. 

One  by  one  the  great  commanders  of  the  Civil 
War  disappear  from  the  theatre  of  their  memora- 
ble achievements.  GRANT,  SHERIDAN,  THOMAS, 
MEADE,  and  now  SHERMAN.  They  have  done  their 
work  ;  they  have  fought  their  last  battles ;  and  it 
only  remains  for  history  to  record  their  deeds,  and 
to  give  them  their  proper  rank  amongst  the  great 
commanders  of  the  world. 

These  are  not  words  of  mere  adulation.  If  sec- 
tional animosities  are  forgotten  ;  if  a  race  has  been 
set  free ;  if  the  Union,  one  and  indivisible,  still  re- 
flects its  benignant  light  throughout  the  world ;  if 
"  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the 
people  has  not  perished  from  the  earth,"  it  is  due  in 
no  small  measure  to  the  men  who  so  successfully  led 
the  armies  of  the  Union  to  final  victory.  They  were 
the  trusted  lieutenants  of  the  great  President  in  his 
struggle  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  this  Govern- 
ment. They  took  up  their  work  with  faith  in  them- 


26 

selves,  faith  in  the  cause,  and  faith  in  the  magnificent 
armies  they  commanded,  and  they  accomplished  it. 

And  now  SHERMAN.  He  too  has  followed  his 
comrades  in  arms  ;  he  too  has  joined  "  the  innumera- 
ble host  that  moves  to  the  pale  realms  of  shade  ;" 
but  he  was  spared  to  see  the  end  of  the  contest  in 
which  he  bore  so  conspicuous  a  part.  The  army 
confided  to  him,  he  directed  with  consummate  skill 
to  a  definite  purpose,  and  that  purpose  had  been 
accomplished.  The  Confederacy  had  been  rent  in 
twain  ;  its  heart  had  been  pierced.  Not  to  him 
had  his  Commander-in- Chief  to  address  the  de- 
spairing cry  of  the  Roman  Emperor,  "  VARUS, 
restore  me  my  legions."  There  they  were,  singed 
with  the  fire,  and  begrimed  with  the  smoke  of 
battle  on  those  ever  memorable  days  of  May,  1865, 
when  the  armies  of  the  Union  marched  through 
the  Capital,  the  very  embodiment  of  the  power 
of  the  people  put  forth  in  defence  of  their  Constitu- 
tion and  Government.  No  man  in  the  vast  assem- 
bly that  witnessed  the  pageant  doubted  that  the 
spirit  of  disunion  had  been  crushed.  No  doubter, 
but  believed  in  the  right  and  the  power  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  defend  its  existence  by  a  coercion  of 
arms,  when  a  coercion  of  laws  had  failed.  The  right 
and  the  power  had  received  their  complete  and  final 
vindication. 

Of  SHERMAN,  as  one  of  our  great  commanders, 


27 

this  is  not  the  time  nor  place  to  speak  at  length. 
The  history  of  the  vast  military  operations  of  our  civil 
war,  that  is  to  be  the  final  authority,  will  not  appear 
until  the  passions,  the  prejudices  and  the  prefer- 
ences of  the  present  generation  shall  have  passed 
Into  oblivion.  Then  some  future  JOMINI,  out  of  the 
abundant  materials  at  hand,  will  weave  a  narrative 
of  those  operations,  comprehensive  in  its  scope,  and 
just  in  its  criticisms  of  men  and  measures.  Is  it 
hazardous  to  predict,  that  the  "  March  to  the  Sea  " 
will  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and 
decisive  of  all  the  campaigns  of  the  war,  and  the 
commander,  who  so  successfully  conceived  and  ex- 
ecuted it,  one  of  the  greatest  masters  of  military 
science  ? 

It  was  after  the  evacuation  of  Atlanta  that  SHER- 
MAN, as  he  tells  us  in  his  Memoirs,  decided  to  cut 
loose  from  his  base  and  lead  his  victorious  armies 
to  the  sea — an  inspiration  of  genius,  like  his  views 
on  the  conduct  of  the  war  at  an  earlier  period,  re- 
garded with  doubt  and  anxiety  in  official  circles, 
only  to  be  triumphantly  vindicated  by  its  complete 
success.  "None  of  us  went  further  than  to  ac- 
quiesce," was  the  frank  admission  of  the  President. 
The  obstacles  to  be  encountered,  and  the  means  at 
hand  to  overcome  them,  had  been  measured  with 
almost  scientific  exactness,  and  when  the  campaign, 
had  been  finished  by  the  fall  of  Savannah  and  the 


28 

surrender  at  Greensboro,  there  was  no  dissent  from 
the  conclusion,  that  it  had  been  more  fruitful  in 
grand  results  than  any  of  the  events  of  the  war,  save 
only  the  almost  cotemporaneous  surrender  at  Ap- 
ponmttox,  and  the  disintegration  of  the  Confederate 
Government. 

But  the  military  fame  of  SHERMAN  will  not  rest 
wholly  on  his  march  to  the  sea.  To  the  diligent 
student,  the  operations  that  preceded  it  are  full  of 
interest  and  instruction.  From  Dalton  to  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Chattahoochee  he  was  confronted  by  as 
consummate  a  master  of  defensive  warfare  as  either 
side  had  produced.  Here  on  a  field  admirably 
adapted  to  the  most  brilliant  display  of  strategy  and 
tactical  skill,  these  great  leaders  contended  for  vic- 
tory ;  and  when  SHERMAN  entered  Atlanta,  his  ob- 
jective point,  he  had  already  earned  his  place  in  the 
front  rank  of  our  Commanders. 

Of  SHERMAN,  the  patriotic  citizen,  free  from  all 
political  ambition,  intent  only  on  employing  his 
great  talents  for  the  public  good,  the  verdict  of  the 
people  has  long  since  gone  forth,  and  it  is  voiced  to- 
day in  the  public  expressions  of  sorrow  which  the 
announcement  of  his  death  has  called  out  through- 
out the  land.  Such  a  verdict  was  doubtless  more 
precious  in  his  eyes  than  all  the  distinctions  of 
office,  or  all  the  attractions  of  wealth.  His  civic 
virtues  will  not  pale  even  before  the  splendor  of  his 


29 

military  renown.  His  loyalty  was  intense.  It  per- 
vaded his  whole  being.  It  gave  him  strength  and 
patience  to  endure  official  mistakes  and  popular  de- 
lusions. To  him  the  flag  of  his  country  was  verily 
the  symbol  of  her  greatness.  In  its  defence  he  un- 
hesitatingly turned  his  back  on  a  lucrative  and  con- 
genial position  in  civil  life,  and  from  a  loyal  citizen 
he  became  a  loyal  soldier.  "I  will  maintain  my 
allegiance  to  the  Constitution  as  long  as  a  fragment 
of  it  remains,"  were  the  short,  sharp,  decisive  words 
in  which  he  made  known  his  resolution.  When  the 
contest  was  over,  no  persuasion  could  induce  him  to 
accept  political  preferment,  even  the  highest  in  the 
land.  On  retiring  from  his  position  as  General  of 
the  Army,  he  chose  rather  to  return  to  private  life, 
without  a  single  badge  of  distinction,  save  the  price- 
less services  he  had  rendered  his  country. 

Such  was  SHERMAN,  true  type  of  all  that  is  best  in 
our  manhood,  shining  example  of  the  ideal  citizen 
and  soldier,  to  be  read  and  pondered  by  all  men, 
who,  whether  under  a  reign  of  law  or  in  the  throes 
of  revolution,  desire  to  act  well  their  parts.  What  a 
glorious  life  was  his  to  live,  what  a  glorious  death, 
to  die  in  the  full  assurance,  coming  from  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  the  people,  that  he  had  nobly 


80 

performed  his  duty,  that  he  had  deserved  well  of 
the  Republic. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

(Signed,)       THOS.  HILLHOUSE. 

To  the  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
New-  York. 

The  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted. 

A  Committee,  consisting  of  the  President  of  the 
Chamber,  ALEXANDER  E.  ORB,  WILLIAME.  DODGE, 
ABEAM  S.  HEWITT,  J.  EDWAUD  SIMMONS,  SAMUEL 
D.  BABCOCK,  JOHN  H.  INMAN,  MOERIS  K.  JESUP, 
RICHARD  T.  WILSON  and  WILLIAM  H.  WEBB  was 
appointed  to  attend  the  funeral  of  General  SHERMAN. 

CHARLES  S.  SMITH, 

President. 

G-EORGE  WILSON, 

Secretary. 

NEW- YORK,  February  17,  1891. 


UNIVERSITY  , OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

-Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE' on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


JUN  1  3:1.950 


APR  2  6 1961 


FormL9 — 15m-10,'48(B1039)444 


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